Tag Archives: Attorney General

We’ll probably never know who Ken Paxton’s big campaign donors are

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

He has no interest in telling us, and there’s basically no mechanism to make him. Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced a hefty $2.8 million campaign haul, showing the competition he can still raise big bucks while under FBI scrutiny. … Continue reading →

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Can the CCA withstand political pressure?

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Sure hope so. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judges’ phone lines and email inboxes have been flooded for more than a week by callers angry about a ruling last month that stripped Attorney General Ken Paxton of the authority to … Continue reading →

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Paxton thumbs his nose at open records demand

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Water is wet. The sun rises in the east. Ken Paxton DGAF about government, ethics, accountability or any of that other namby-pamby stuff. Attorney General Ken Paxton said the Travis County district attorney’s determination that Paxton violated open records laws … Continue reading →

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Paxton asks Supreme Court to toss that pesky whistleblower lawsuit

Posted on January 9, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Same argument, different court. Either Ken Paxton can be held accountable, or he gets a free pass to do whatever he wants. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the Texas Supreme Court to toss out a whistleblower lawsuit by … Continue reading →

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Paxton still wants to be supreme prosecutor

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Please hold firm, CCA. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the state’s highest criminal court to reconsider a recent decision that stripped his agency of the power to prosecute election law violations. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, in … Continue reading →

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Three comments about three vaccine mandate news stories

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Item one: A U.S. district judge in North Texas has blocked a mask mandate and vaccine requirement for staff and students in the Head Start program that was issued by President Joe Biden. Head Start is a federal school readiness … Continue reading →

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From the “Keeping track of all these lawsuits is hard” department

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Spotted on Democracy Docket: Today, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas denied a motion to dismiss Vote.org v. Callanen. The case, filed earlier this summer, challenges Texas’ “wet signature” law that requires individuals who submit … Continue reading →

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Apparently, we’re still litigating whether Texas Central is a railroad

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I admit, I’m a bit confused by this. The Texas attorney general’s office has put its weight behind a landowner’s case against the companies developing a controversial Dallas-Houston bullet train, arguing they can’t force people to sell parcels needed for … Continue reading →

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Come watch Ken Paxton light your tax dollars on fire

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I mean, Theranos would have delivered a greater return on investment than this. Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton has been one of former President Donald Trump’s most reliable allies in spreading the myth of widespread voter fraud, particularly in … Continue reading →

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CCA tells Ken Paxton he’s not the supreme prosecutor

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Cry me a river, Kenny. Texas’ highest court for criminal cases on Wednesday struck down a law that allows the attorney general to unilaterally prosecute election cases. The state’s Court of Criminal Appeals issued an 8-1 opinion saying a provision … Continue reading →

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A brief filing update

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few observations as we head out of the holiday season and into what I expect will be the busier part of the filing period. I’m using the Patrick Svitek spreadsheet, the SOS candidate filing resource, and the candidate … Continue reading →

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Louie Gohmert will run for AG

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I got nothing. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, announced Monday he is running for attorney general, challenging fellow Republican Ken Paxton, in the already crowded primary. “Texas I am officially running to be your next Attorney General and will enforce … Continue reading →

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Texas sues over the health care workers vaccine mandate

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a trifecta. In Texas’ latest legal challenge targeting federal vaccination mandates, Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration over its recent order requiring health workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The Biden administration issued an emergency order, … Continue reading →

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Joy Diaz

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of “potential candidate” news is tucked into this story about the current state of the Democratic statewide slate. If Democrats had a mantra, it would probably be something like “diversity and inclusion.” So it’s kind of strange that … Continue reading →

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Sometimes, you really do have to hand it to Louie Gohmert

Posted on November 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of all the Louie Gohmerts in the world, he’s the Louie Gohmertiest. U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, appears to be exploring a run for Texas attorney general, weighing a late entry into the already crowded primary to unseat GOP incumbent … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib: Abbott 46, Beto 37

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Data point #2, arriving on schedule. Gov. Greg Abbott has a comfortable lead over potential Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke, according to a new poll from the University of Texas at Austin and The Texas Tribune. The survey of registered voters … Continue reading →

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We have a third Dem candidate for AG

Posted on November 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the race, Rochelle Garza. Democrat Rochelle Garza, a former lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union from the Rio Grande Valley, is running for attorney general after redistricting complicated her campaign to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, … Continue reading →

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Hispanic Policy Foundation poll: Abbott 44, Beto 43

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

At long last, some new polling data, and this one is eye-catching. A year before they could meet in a showdown for the state’s top office, Gov. Greg Abbott and expected Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke are virtually tied, according to … Continue reading →

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Here comes the library police

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hide your children, and your copies of forbidden books. A Republican state lawmaker has launched an investigation into Texas school districts over the type of books they have, particularly if they pertain to race or sexuality or “make students feel … Continue reading →

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Third Court rejects Paxton attempt to kill whistleblower lawsuit

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A state appeals court found Thursday that former deputies of Attorney General Ken Paxton who were fired after accusing the Republican official of abusing his office are protected under the state’s whistleblower law, allowing their lawsuit against Paxton to … Continue reading →

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The “abortion bans are good for interstate commerce, actually” defense

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I can never tell when Ken Paxton is trolling or sincere. In briefs filed Wednesday in the Justice Department’s challenge to Texas’ abortion ban, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton touted the trips Texas women are making out of state to … Continue reading →

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Appeals court appears skeptical about Paxton’s whistleblower defense

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As well they should be. A panel of Texas 3rd Court of Appeals justices expressed skepticism of an argument from Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawyers on Wednesday that he is exempt from the state’s whistleblower act because he’s not a … Continue reading →

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Texas takes its potty obsession to court

Posted on September 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, brother. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration over recent federal guidance issued to protect LGBTQ people in the workplace, including a directive that says employees should be allowed to use the bathrooms, locker rooms and … Continue reading →

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The Republican AG primary just got bigger

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The more, the more miserable. Attorney General Ken Paxton just got another Republican primary challenger, but this time it is someone who has been close to him for years: state Rep. Matt Krause. The Fort Worth lawmaker and founding member … Continue reading →

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Matthew Dowd

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure what to make of this. A little more than a week after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Matthew Dowd announced he was leaving his job as chief political analyst with ABC News after thirteen years with … Continue reading →

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More on the Paxton self-exoneration report

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More and more ridiculous. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office refuses to release the names of the authors or the taxpayer cost of the internal report published Tuesday that concluded that whistleblowers’ accusations that Paxton broke the law were unfounded. … Continue reading →

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Stop investigating yourself, you’ll go blind

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There’s not enough snark on the Internet for this. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office on Tuesday released an internal report that found that Paxton did not accept bribes and did not misuse his office to benefit his friend and … Continue reading →

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Meet the new special session

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Same as the old special session, at least at first. It appears likely that not enough Democrats will show up for the Texas House to conduct business when a second special legislative session convenes Saturday. Some of the more than … Continue reading →

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Another ruling to allow whistleblower lawsuit against Paxton to proceed

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So much for all the lawyers to do. A state judge has rejected a bid to dismiss a whistleblower lawsuit filed by four former executives at Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office who said they were fired in retaliation after accusing … Continue reading →

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Paxton “wins” Trump endorsement

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Former President Donald Trump has backed Attorney General Ken Paxton for reelection, passing over primary challenger George P. Bush in bestowing the highly sought-after endorsement. “It is going to take a PATRIOT like Ken … Continue reading →

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P Bush slightly outraises Paxton

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Meh. Land Commissioner George P. Bush kicked off his attorney general campaign by outraising the incumbent, fellow Republican Ken Paxton, and another primary challenger, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman. But Paxton has more money saved up for the … Continue reading →

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The DACA ruling

Posted on July 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Ugh. A federal judge in Texas ruled Friday that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that allows certain immigrants to temporarily avoid deportation and receive renewable work permits, is illegal and ordered the Biden administration to stop granting new … Continue reading →

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P Bush files a Paxton-style lawsuit

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What a wannabe. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration, claiming the president is illegally preventing the construction of a wall on the Texas-Mexico border. Bush announced the lawsuit Wednesday, saying his office … Continue reading →

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Eva Guzman raises a few bucks

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not bad, but she’s gonna need a lot more than this. Eva Guzman, one of the 2022 Republican primary challengers to Attorney General Ken Paxton, raised more than $1 million in her first 10 days as an announced candidate— … Continue reading →

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